The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1887-10-13
FREE GRACE.
Divine Services in the Brooklyn Taber-
nacle.


Morning-O Other Worlds Than Ours In
habitable-The Religion of Christ Not an
Abstraction.
BROOKLYN, Oct. 2.-N-The capacity for a
still larger audience has been made at the
Brooklyn tabernacle. An adioined lecture
room has been built so that during the
week it is used by itself, but on the Sab
bath it is thrown into the main auditorium
and filled by those sitting or standing.
Notwithstanding the enlargement the
crowds that 90 away not able to get inside
the building are greater this fall than ever
before. To-day the pastor explained ap-
propriate passages of Scripture. Prof.
Browne rendered upon the organ the First
Sonata in ID minor, Ritter. The text Of
the sermon was from II Corinthians, viii.
g. aye know the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for
your sskes He became poor" Dr. Talmage
said:
That Ill the worlds which on a cold
winters night make the heavens one great
glitter are inhabitantless is an absurdity.
Philosophers tell us that many of these
worlds are too hot, or too cold, or too
rarefied of atmosphere for residence. But,
if not iit for human abode, they may be
fit for beiugs different from and superior
to ourselves. We are told that the world
of Jupiter is changing until it is almost fit
for creatures like the human race, and
that Mars would do for the human family
with a little change in the structure of
the respiratory organs. But that there is
a great world swung somewhere, vast
beyond imagination, and that it is the
headquarters of the universe and the
metropolis Of immensity, and has popu-
lation in numbers vast beyond all statistics
and appointments of splendor beyond the
capacity of canvas, or poem, or angel to
describe, is as certain as the Bihl is
authentic. Perhaps some of the astfono-
mels with their big telescopes have al
ready caught glimpse of it, not knowing
what it is. We spell it with six letters, and
pronounce it Heaven.
That is where Prince Jesus lived nine
teen centuries ago. He was the Kings
son. 1t was the old homestead of eternity,
aud all its castles were as old as God. Not
frost had ever chilled the air. Not tear
had ever rolled down the cheek of one OF
its inhabitants. There had never been in
it a headache, or a sideache, or heart
ache. There had not been a funeral in
the memory of the oldest inhabitant.
There had never in all the land been
woven black veil, for there had never
been anything to mourn over. The passage
of millions of years had not wrinkled or
crippled or bedimmed any of its citizens.
All the people there were in q state of
eternal adolescence. What floral and
pomonic brightness! Gardens of per-
petual bloom and orchards in unending
fruitage. Had some spirit from another
world entered and asked, What is sin?
what is bereavement? what is sorrow? what
is death? the brightest of the intelligences
would have failed to give definition,
though to study the question there were
silence in Heaven for half an hour. The
Prince of whom l speak had honors,
emoluments, acclamations, such as NO
other prince, celestial or terrestrial, ever
enjoyed, AS He passed the street, the in
habitants took off from their brows gar
lands of while lilies and threw them in
the way. He never entered any of the
temples without all the worshipers rising
up and bowing in obeisance. In all the
professions of the high days He was the
one who evoked the lOudest welcome.
Sometimes on foot, walking in loving talk
with the humblest of the land, but at other
times He took chariot, and among the
10000 that David spoke of His was The
swiftest and most flaming; or, rs when
John described Him, He took white pal
frey with what prance of foot, and arch of
neck, aud roll of name, and CLEAN of eye
is only dimly suggested in the Apocalypse.
He was not like other princes, waiting for
the father TO die and then take the throne.
When a few years ago an artist in Ger
many made q picture for the Royal gall
lery representing Emperor William on the
throne. and the Grown Prince as having
one foot on the step of the throne, EN-
poror VILLAIN ordered the picture changed,
and saii. "Let the Prince keep his foot
Off the throne till / leave it,"
Already cnthroned was the Heavenly
Prince, side by side with the Father. What
q circle of dominionl What myrmidons of
admirers! What unending round of glo-
lies, All the towers chimed the Princes
praises. OF all the inhabitants, from the
center Of the city, on over the hills and
clear down to the beach, against which the
ocean Of immensity rolls its pillows, the
Prince was the acknowledged favorite. No
wonder my text says that "he was rich. "
Set all the diamonds of the earth in one
scepter, build all the palaces of the earth
in one Alhambra, gather all the pearls Of
sea in one diadem, put all the values of the
earth in one coin; the aggregate would not
express his affiuence. Yes, Paul was right,
Solomon had in gold G6S0, 900, 900 and in
silver u, ,029, ,00O,377 sterling. But a
greater than Solomon is here. Not the
millionaire, but the quadrillionaire of
Heaven. To describe his celestial sur
roundings the Bible uses all colors, gather
ing them in rainbow over the throne and
setting them as agate in the temple window,
and hoistin1 twelve of them into wall
from stripped jasper al the base to trans
parent amethyst in the capstone, while be-
tween are green Of emerald, and snow of
pearl, and blue Of sapphire. and yellow Of
aopaz, gray of hry5oprasus, and fame OF
iacinth. All the loveliness of landscape
in foliage, and river, and rill, and all en-
chantment aquamarine, the sea of glass
mingled with fire as when the sun sinks in
the Mediterranean. All the thrill of music,
instrumental and vocal, harps, trumpets,
doxologies. There stood the Prince, sur
rounded by those who had under their
wings the velocity of millions Of miles in
second, rich in love, rich in alteration,
rich in power, rich in worship, rich in boli-
ness, rich in God.
But one day there was big disaster in q
department Of Gods universe. A race
fallen A world in ruinsl Our planet the
scene of catastrophe A globe swinging
out into darkness, with mountains and seas
and islands, an awful centrifugal of sin
seeming to overpower the beautiful centri-
petal of righteousness, and from it groan
reached Heaven. Such sound had never
been heard there. Plenty of sweet sounds,
but never an outcry of distress or an echo
Of agony. At that one groan the Prince
rose from all the blissful circumjacence
and started for the outer gate and de-
Scended into the nigh of this world. Out
Of what bright harbor into what rough
sea! "Stay With u.s." cried angel after
angel and potentate after potentate. NO."
said the Prince, Il cannot stay; must be
off for that wreck of a world. must stop
that groan. | must hush that distress. l
must fathom that way. l must redeem
those nations. Farewell, thrones and tenn
,,lap nnn,noninna charuhin aaranhic arch.